Words of Radiance: Book Two of the Stormlight Archive

Let me begin by saying I will try to avoid spoilers, but STORMFATHER WHAT A BOOK! I remember reading that Sanderson wanted to pump out 1 book in the storm light archive every year and being disappointed that it took him almost 3 years. Granted he did have to finish wheel of time, but I desperately wanted a sequel to the way of kings. And it was worth the wait. Every page, every sentence, every interaction is beyond masterful. Sanderson brings life to characters like no other author I've ever read. Each character has their own unique morals, plans and goals, and most importantly, voice. My biggest problem with the way of kings was that Sanderson spent so much time delving into Kaladin's story that all the other characters, particularly Shallan felt two dimensional and very black and white. That being said, every single character has more depth then the first book. Even new characters, particularly Lift, Pattern, Wyndle, have an instant depth and like-ability that has to be experienced. He has also taken minor characters from the first book and made them much mor like able. Renarin in particular simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me smile. He so desperately wants to be a hero like his dad and brother, but he knows he never will be but doesn't let that hold him back and never stops trying. I also like how Sanderson gave characters their own sense of humor. Lift, Kal, Shallan, Pattern, Syl, Rock, Lopen, Wit and even Adolin all have a unique, and hilarious sense of humor that brings life to the characters and a smile to your face. I particularly like Lift and her "captured Voidbringer" Wyndle (who I feel like has a British accent). In the beginning of the book I was very happy to see that Sanderson wasn't going to be the author who makes his characters invincible when he killed off one of the characters. I was actually happy when it happened because he killed her, no room for debate, she was dead, and it made another characters story instantly more interesting. I was disappointed when in the last 5 pages he does a complete 180 and does something that I don't think he should have done. He better be able to explain it well and stop brining characters back from the dead. With the plot, Sanderson redefines epic fantasy. Look out Tolkien, Martin, and Jordan, Sanderson's here and he's putting all of you to shame. Literally dozens of different storylines somehow meld and warp into one amazing plot. The subplots are particularly fun because they leave you wondering where on earth Sanderson is going. Here's hoping he doesn't lose control of the story like Jordan did when it got to big and to epic. Lastly, there are only three authors have sucked me in and not let go until it's 3 am and I've read 400 pages in one sitting. Those authors are Rothfuss (anyone who's read The name of the wind knows what I'm talking about), Matthew Ryan (if u don't know who he is go check out Blood Song and prepare for one of the most amazing characters you've ever read. Keep an eye out for Ryan, he's going places) and Sanderson. I bought this book when it came out on Tuesday 3/4 and I just finished it 5 days and 1100 pages later. I am so enraptured with this series that I am going to sit and hold my breath until Sanderson gives me book #3.

No spoilers follow - I would not consider revealing even one detail of this awesome book. Words of Radiance restores the fantasy genre to a level not seen in recent memory. I have come to expect big things from Brandon Sanderson but The Stormlight Archive shows just how truly great he is at creating compelling characters, putting them through the proverbial wringer and bringing them to a point where they can choose redemption or damnation, often in scenarios where the reader is uncertain as to which decision leads to which outcome. While the continuing story of Kaladin seems focused on the development of his (spectacularly thought-out by Sanderson) powers and their use in combat, the most important decision does not involve his actions, but rather his inaction. Sanderson is capable of telling a moral-tale without the reader realizing he is serving up some extraordinary lessons in ethics. I can't recall a book this entertaining which educates the reader on the differences between objective, relative and subjective ethics/morality without you knowing you are getting that education. There were a lot of readers who panned the first book in the series because there was too much character development and not enough action for a book of such length. I understood that criticism even if I disagreed at the time. It was my hope then that all of that character development in book one would lead to an explosion of action and plot revelations in the second book, and that is exactly what Words of Radiance brings. When characters suffer, are betrayed by friends or find the first stirrings of love, I felt it so much more because of how deeply invested I was in them and their background stories. A short book can be easy to read, but a character with no meaningful inner dialogue or personal history is not easy to identify with. Despite the length of these books, I never once felt like I was being led along. It is his talent for organized storytelling that led Robert Jordan's team to choose Sanderson to finish his sprawling Wheel of Time series to an appropriate, though long-past-due conclusion. Some authors are not particularly good at creating vivid battle descriptions (Tolkien, though the LOTR movies largely expanded successfully on the abbreviated combat scenes penned by Tolkien); Sanderson is not one of those. The final duel is one that will be talked about by generations of readers. I wish I could say more about this portion of the book, but it would reveal far too much about the story overall. Please do yourself a great favor and read this series. It will seem like an investment at first, but this investment comes with the greatest of literary returns.

At this point, Words of Radiance has been out for a year and a half, and I suspect most of Sanderson's fans have read it. I've bumped into them at cons, book stores, signings, and, frankly, almost every other place where you might find readers. I bump into them at the most unlikely of places and find them in the people I would least have suspected of being fantasy fans. In fact, for a lot of them, this is the only fantasy that they read--indeed, to them, fantasy IS Brandon Sanderson. There are a lot of explanations for this, but the simplest one is really this: Sanderson writes some pretty awesome stuff. Broad appeal, female protagonists, good writing, high productivity, the absence of foul language and "on-screen" sex, and highly creative world building are all parts of that, but really, Sanderson has a formula that instead of being predictable focuses on storytelling fundamentals and innovative plot, character, and world-building... But enough rambling: let's get to Word of Radiance. It merits its own dose of praise. When the first book in The Stormlight Archive was released (The Way of Kings) back in 2010, I found myself waiting at a midnight release to get Sanderson's signature--and yes, I still shake my head that I did it, but I digress--he had just finished the last three books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. While I agreed with most readers that Sanderson's touch had actually improved the Wheel of Time, I wanted assurance that I wouldn't have to wait a generation to see the end of the next epic fantasy series I would start, of which Sanderson was at that moment signing the first installment in front of me at the table. "There will be ten books," he said. "And I promise not to die on the way." All of this is just to say that after finishing #2 in the series I am more than even after the first eager to read the next. And I would read as many as Sanderson writes, be they a thousand pages or more... Words of Radiance surpasses The Way of Kings and sets a path for the series that hints at as much, or more, as it actually reveals. As Words of Radiance opens, our two heroes--Kaladin and Shallan--find themselves moving towards a purpose, having over come the obstacles that they surpassed in The Way of Kings. Kaladin is no longer a slave, but wields the power of the Knights Radiant, if secretly from all but a few of his closest soldiers of the newly formed military unit he heads in their task to protect the King. Shallan finds herself en route to the Alethkar war camp on the Shattered Plains, learning but slowly to recognize her own growing powers. And yet, neither will foresee what they must do--what they must become--if they are to survive the coming storm, as well as the treachery that awaits at every turn. Meanwhile, the mysterious Assassin continues to spread chaos across the land, killing heads of state across the continent, commanded by an unseen hand, a shadow power manipulating the nations. Sanderson has learned how to develop his characters, good and evil, and to make them hurt in a way that accrues sympathy from the reader. For example, it's hard to see Kaladin's choices, watch him pay the price, and see how he digs himself out of the results. Yet Sanderson finds a way, proving that he is in command of the story, not the other way around. At a thousand plus pages, building one character might seem easy, but he does it with every character who earns any time on the pages, even during one of the shorter interludes that fill the gaps between sections, both with color and hints of what is going on across the continent beyond where our main story is happening. Every character is individual, creatively rendered, and vibrantly alive. Just when I think Sanderson couldn't possibly make Roshar more real, he creates another culture, unique and colorful, and adds another layer to what is also a highly developed interplay of characters, countries, cultures, and mythologies. It's a 'wow' factor that makes Sanderson's writing--already carrying a strong story--that much more gripping and hard to put down. Words of Radiance is fantastic, and almost anthropological at points, in its scope. I can't wait to read Oathbringer (hinted for a 2017 release, which is so far away as to be almost a depressing thought), as well as anything that Sanderson manages to punch out in the intervening time between his finishing writing and the publisher's release to shelves.

I have to say that I loved this book! It was so good that I couldn’t wait to get to the finish to find out what happened, while simultaneously wishing for it never to end. One of the things that kept me so enthralled was the multiple subplots. Although this book was very much Shallan’s story, it still followed the other major characters in a very satisfying way. It also introduced several more minor characters in the form of interludes. The story begins almost immediately after the conclusion in The Way of Kings. If you haven’t read the first book, then this is not the place to leap into the story – you most definitely need to start with Book One. It’s a fascinating tale, and there’s very obviously lots more of the story still to come, so now I’m starting the wait for the next volume. When you become invested in a series, the waiting time between volumes is always a funny kind of time. If, like myself, you’re a re-reader, then there’s lots to fill in the time. In addition to reading other books of course, you can re-read the parts of the series you already have, and recently, I’ve discovered that if you get them in audiobook format, you can listen to them and pick up nuances that you didn’t realise you’d missed when you read the story the first/second/third times. This story kept me enthralled from the first page to the last one. Several times as I read, I felt myself wishing to knock a few of the characters’ heads together. I was also pleased to discover that a couple of hints I’d picked up while jogging to the audiobook of “The Way of Kings” panned out almost as I’d thought might happened. (It’s always a good moment when you go “Yes! I was right!” but are still surprised by just how it all came together in the end.) The reading of this book was enhanced by the lovely artwork contained in its pages. Shallan is an artist, and many of her drawings have been beautifully depicted as part of the book. Even on my kindle, they were well imaged and clear. I’ve been a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s world building for some time now, but Roshar is probably the most well realised so far. The thought that has gone into its ecology and structure is just amazing, and those pictures and maps were just fabulous. If you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s, you’ll be, at the very least, intrigued by a few of the revelations at the end of the book. If I didn’t have a book of my own to finish writing, I’d be tempted to go and do a little more reference reading. No more on this, because….spoilers….

I struggle a bit with what to say about a 1,080-page book that took me a month and a half to read. That it took me so long is not a negative comment on the book so much as it is a reflection of the reality that life's other pressures often get in the way of reading. I read "The Way of Kings" back in January 2011 (the first book I read on a Kindle, and as with my review of that book, I will conclude this one with a particular Kindle-related comment). I found "Words of Radiance" to move at a faster clip than "The Way of Kings" and to overcome Brandon Sanderson's self-admitted tendency for his books to take a couple of hundred pages to get moving. The last several chapters of "Words of Radiance" are as gripping as anything I've read in several years. Not as frenzied a pace as the 100+-page chapter of "A Memory of Light" narrating Tarmon Gai'don, mind you, but then that sequence was the summation of a 14-book series as opposed to the conclusion of the second of a projected ten books. I enjoy that the characters in this series are not perfect. I find it unrealistic when a character is too perfect or doesn't make mistakes or the like. In this volume, that imperfection is the source of some level of agony, especially when the reader understands what the characters are doing wrong. I suspect this imperfection may be a particularly significant source of problems and tension for the characters going forward, though I also know Sanderson loves to throw in plot twists (meaning my guess may be 100% wrong). I have only one hesitation in recommending this series to new readers: Pace of publication. The first volume came out in 2010 and the second in 2014. I recognize there were extenuating circumstances there because of Sanderson's commitment to finish the Wheel of Time and the massive amount of time that effort required, so I hope the third volume will be published more quickly (I've seen rumours of spring 2016). You have to recognize this is planned to be a ten-book series, so it's going to be a long time before it's finished. My impression, based on some of Sanderson's comments and interviews, is that he has a pretty firm idea of where he wants this series to go, so I am optimistic the pace of publishing won't be glacial, but I've also seen how some other authors (George R.R. Martin and Kristen Britain come immediately to mind) go several years in between books. I raise all of this because the Stormlight Archive is a complex story to the point where after a few years' delay between books it becomes necessary to go back and refresh yourself a bit on the previous volume. If you're the type of person who hates long waits between books, or who doesn't like to go back and refresh yourself, you may want to wait a few more years before beginning this series (however, be aware that because there are eight more books planned, you could be waiting a long time). Regarding reading this book on a Kindle, in my review of "The Way of Kings" I made a comment about how the Kindle is not well-suited to displaying the artwork that appears throughout this book and about how the Kindle is utterly inadequate when it comes to displaying the world map. The same is still true three years later. The following is a re-written version of my prior comments with some updated thoughts: "I would have given this book five stars, but I took off a point for the Kindle edition because I found the maps and illustrations extremely hard to read (in some cases, almost impossible). I would have liked to have studied the map of Roshar in detail, but the Kindle simply doesn't allow you to zoom in enough to do this in the level of detail I'd prefer to do. There is also some artwork throughout the book that contains text annotations. From having read Brandon Sanderson's other books, I strongly believe that artwork can be expository, but if you read the book on the Kindle, as I did, don't expect much in terms of the artwork. The inability to zoom and move around the images seems to be a limitation of the Kindle. As a workaround, I tried downloading this book into the Kindle app on my iPad since that DOES allow zooming and panning, but it didn't solve the problem because it simply made the images too grainy. "I think on the whole the illustrations aren't a huge issue and so I'd probably take off half a point, but Amazon does not allow half-star values in rating books. Therefore, I gave four stars because I didn't think it was right to give five when I thought there was a negative that bore mention. I don't want any potential Kindle reader to get put off by my comments about the illustrations. It's still well worth the read, and it's beyond dispute that reading a 1000+ page hardback is a lot easier when you read it as an e-book compared to hauling a hardback around everywhere you go." If someone who works with or for Brandon Sanderson or his publisher is reading these reviews, I'd like to suggest the map and illustrations be made available on Sanderson's website, perhaps behind a page with spoiler warnings if you think that appropriate. It would be a help to those of us who buy the e-book release. EDITED TO ADD: A comment left in response to this review states the maps and illustrations are indeed on Brandon Sanderson's website. I have not yet looked at them, but it's good information to have. It's still too bad the Kindle can't handle this sort of thing better, but since that's a device-specific limitation, I applaud Sanderson and his publisher for providing this workaround.

This was amazing! You were all right! I have no words in me to review this book, but it certainly was radiant. Every time I think I can’t possibly become more impressed with Sanderson, I find out I was wrong. He is brilliant, and I am in awe with what he is achieving with Cosmere as a whole. I love that Sanderson leaves enough clues for us to guess little pieces of story, but it never compromises our satisfaction, because there is always something more. It just makes me feel smart, while You can always be sure <i>“there is always another secret”</i>! What an emotional roller coaster! This was fantasy perfection! The world building is amazing, the magic system intricate, and the characters are complex, flawed and profound, and they never read as the typical fantasy heroes. The way Sanderson writes his characters just feels different. He explores something in them in a deep level, but then you see another layer, and get to explore it on a deep level as well. Sometimes you like the first layer and relate to the character immediately, sometimes you need to see more of them, and go deep into another piece of their soul. Words of Radiance was stellar in exploring more layers of SA characters and, at this point, I’m invested in all of them (and I hated several in WoK). This is a very long book, but everything on it feels necessary, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Having everyone together, and several POV in the same chapter increased the pace of the story, and left me hanging on every written word. I wanted to scream every time I reached the interludes, but I loved all of them, and what they add to the story. Shallan’s humor was a great addition to the story, bringing a new light to it. It was certainly needed to balance Kaladin moods. I expect she will change a bit with the admission of the past, but I hope she gets to keep at least a bit of her older self. I loved the duels, the chasms, the storms, bridge four, discovering Adolin’s heart and Taravangian brain, the fights and, as usual, Hoid. <i><b> Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves. I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.</i></b> <b>Side note</b>: for everyone who says it is necessary to read Warbreaker before this book… I honestly don’t think it is. It’s a nice Easter egg, but it doesn’t really impact the story (yet?). I was actually disappointed because I was expecting more of that particular character. Read Warbreaker because it is great, because you love Cosmere, because it is an easy entry to the Cosmere or because you want to read Sanderson without the commitment of a whole series. Stormlight Archives is already a huge commitment with 4 ginormous books, 2 “novellas”, and more than half of it yet to be published. Let’s not add additional restrictions please.

This is my favourite fantasy series (so far). I feel like it delivers on every aspect and I'm really impressed with Brandon Sanderson as an author. Having read a huge amount of recent and older fantasy, I was surprised how fresh this seemed while stille being true to the genre. Hit the ground running One of the thing that worked really well for me, is that you get thrown into the middle without any explanation of the world and its rules - which are spectacular. Normally I hate it when I have to keep track of too many things and names and don't get it fed in spoons - but everything is so well arranged, exciting and falls so nicely in to place, that you just strap in for the ride and enjoy it. The action scenes are some of the most original and exciting I've ever read - and having just finished the second book, I can say that it doesn't stop here... But is it better than... So, I'm guessing you have already read the synopsis, so I won't go into that or any spoilers, instead I'll compare to some of the other, similar fantasy series I've read. The First Law These books are amazing, and the way they throw around the usual Fantasy tropes is amazing. They're a close second as my favourite fantasy books. That said, the Stormlight books are a far more epic and serious. The scope is just bigger. They're much more hard fantasy and the First law books occasionally have a slightly self-ironic expression. The world in the First Law books is much more simple and more of a setting that an active part of the story. In Stormlight you feel the world is huge and complicated, and much more believable. The characters are at first more interesting in First Law, but they don't have the progression that makes you empathise the way you do in Stormlight. Farseer books Less brooding. Granted, it's a huge problem I have with the Farseer books, I get annoyed when the character uses to much time going around in circles, having inner battles and turmoil, not moving the plot along or seeing what is painfully obvious. Kaladin, one of the main characters, does spend some time battling his inner demons, but it never gets to the point where it's annoying and it is really important to the story. And while he has his demons, his still really awesome. I was in a place where I was tired of the flawed hero, and wanted one that could be really kickass. Sanderson delivered - in more ways than one. Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) OK, these are probably the biggest thing since Lord of the Ring, and deserves it. Stormlight has a very detailed and complex world with political scheming and plotting - but it never threatens ASOIAF gritty, complex world, with all the gears moving and changing in a way that's is just so realistic and complex that it might as well be real. Why, the, do I prefer Stormlight? I'll tell you - they are never boring. You never have a character that you're just reading to get to the next. You never have to skim pages detailing the food or clothes of unimportant characters that you'll never hear of again. There's no boring characters. Maybe that's part of what makes GRRM's books so realistic, but I only have so much time and I prefer to spend it entertained... Kingkiller I'm not the biggest fan of Kingkiller, mostly because I don't really like the main character, but one thing I adored about it was its magic system. Complex, believable and with rules and limitations. The magic system in Stormlight is similar in that regard. While more magical, it makes sense and is confined. Eventually, it get's a superhero feel to it. I'm not sure if that sounds campy, but it really works in the story, working with the plot without being a deux ex or making anything to easy for the main characters. Hope this was helpful!

I reread book one to refresh my memory, then moved on to this, book two. I would highly recommend that method, as it's been a few years since book one, and you'll definitely get more out of it, unless you have some kind of flawless memory. There are books that when you read them it's like the author is whispering things to you about the world. There is so much more to this book than the surface story, which on its own is fantastic. Brandon Sanderson manages to tell an epic tale that not only captivated my imagination, but actually made me feel better about the real world we live in, and humanity as a whole. Though the book is fantasy, the struggles and decisions the characters make translates readily to the problems we all face in our lives. It's rare for a fantasy book to leave me feeling better about the world WE live in, yet Brandon has done that. It's an extremely well thought out tale, I was as engaged (even MORE engaged at times) as I was reading George Martins' game of thrones series, but I prefer Sanderson to Martin because Sanderson doesn't have to go to disgusting places to keep me on the edge of my seat. While there are evil characters in Sandersons tale, he doesn't take me to a place so cruel and disgusting I wish I'd have skipped pages. Don't get me wrong, there is violence, etc but rather than FOCUS on the basest nature of humanity, Sanderson makes you believe people can be better. I finished the book filled with hope for OUR world, though earth/our real world has no mention or place in the story itself. Book two picks up right after the events in book one, I don't want to write any spoilers so suffice it to say, I enjoyed book two just as much as one. I CANT WAIT for the next book in the series, he does not leave you hanging at the end of this book, it's a satisfying ending, but obviously just the tip of the iceberg of where he is going with this series. I would buy the next book in this series over any other series by any other author. I can't recommend this series enough. Please start writing the next one as soon as possible Brandon, it's such a rare book that leaves me feeling so GOOD after reading it...and it's not that everything is roses and butterflies, its more like I feel as though I've had an existential conversation with him through the experiences of his characters. Difficult to explain....but not only is the story original and engaging, it has depth that only a master storyteller could so effortlessly weave into his words. I love you Brandon Sanderson, please continue to share your light with the rest of us.

Seit Brandon Sanderson mit THE WAY OF KINGS 2010 die Bestsellerlisten stürmte und mit dem ersten Teil der STORMLIGHT ARCHIVES neue Maßstäbe setzte, sind 4 Jahre vergangen - nicht viel, gemessen an der Zeit, die vergleichbare Autoren und Sandersons Vorgänger, Robert Jordan, brauchten, um ihre Geschichten fortzusetzen. Nicht immer hat das Ergebnis völlig überzeugt, und je komplexer der Plot und die Zahl der Akteure, umso höher schien für den Autor das Risiko, sich in dem Plot zu verlieren und den Handlungsbogen zum Erliegen zu bringen. Die Erwartungen an Teil 2 der Serie waren so hoch, dass es fast unmöglich schien, ihnen noch gerecht zu werden, und eine Enttäuschung für den Leser schien fast vorprogrammiert - wie sollte ein Buch den Erwartungen gerecht werden, das schon an die Spitze der Fantasy-Charts geschnellt war, vor es überhaupt veröffentlicht wurde? Ich war ziemlich skeptisch, als ich das neue Werk in die Hand nahm; angesichts der liebevollen Aufmachung von THE WAY OF KINGS mit seinem Cover, den liebevollen Illustrationen und den Skizzen, die an Shallans Zeichungen erinnern sollten, war von vornherein klar, dass eine Kindle-Ausgabe der Fortsetzung nicht in Frage kam. Schon das ästhetische Erlebnis, den erneut über 1000 Seiten langen Band in genauso hochwertiger Aufmachung in die Hand zu nehmen und über das Papier zu streichen, begann mich wieder in die Geschichte hineinzuziehen - und wie bei Teil 1 konnte ich einfach nicht mehr aufhören. Die Geschichte hat mich mehr als einmal um den Nachtschlaf gebracht, ich habe gelesen, bis es gar nicht mehr ging, und wieder waren die vielen Seiten schnell vorbei und haben nach mehr geschrien. Die Handlung knüpft nahtlos an Teil 1 an und stellt einige der bekannten Hauptfiguren erneut in den Vordergrund, allen voran Kaladin, den ehemaligen Sklaven und Brückenträger von Bridge Four, der inzwischen den Beinamen "Stormblessed" erworben hat und nun die Leibwache des Königs Elhokar stellt. Umringt von seinen Getreuen aus seinem Brückenteam, macht er sich daran, eine neue Kampfeinheit zu formen, die von seinen Idealen getragen wird. Dabei hat er es nicht gerade einfach, denn er steht außerhalb der Kommandostruktur der Lighteyes, nimmt kein Blatt vor den Mund, und macht sich damit nicht gerade nur Freunde. Anfangs scheint die Menge seiner Aufgaben die größte Herausforderung; je mehr die Entwicklungen voranschreiten, umso mehr wird er in die Intrigen und Machtkämpfe gezogen, und während er versucht, seine erwachenden neuen Fähigkeiten zu beherrschen, verliert er immer mehr seine eigenen Werte aus den Augen und wird in die Intrigen hineingezogen. Wieder stellt auch Dalinar, der als die eigentliche Macht hinter dem Thron besteht, die zweite Hauptfigur der Geschichte dar. Seine Visionen machen ihn immer noch angreifbar und zum Gespött vieler; gleichzeitig vermitteln sie ihm ein überragendes Gefühl von Dringlichkeit und lassen ihn immer weniger daran zweifeln, dass er die Initiative ergreifen muss, um das Königreich vor einer herannahenden Bedrohung zu schützen. Die Hinweise sind allerdings so vage, dass er nur schwer erkennen kann, ob sein Weg der Richtige ist. Die Dritte im Bunde ist wieder Shallan, die in unerwarteter Weise sehr früh im Plot aus dem Schatten von Jasnah Kholin heraustritt und eine bemerkenswerte Entwicklung durchmacht, die zugleich mit ihrer Vergangenheit einen Großteil der Handlung ausmacht. Mit dieser Überraschung beginnt eine Vielzahl unvorhergesehener Entwicklungen, mit denen man als Leser trotz hoher Erwartungen nicht gerechnet hätte und die das Buch über das Niveau eines Übergangsbuches und auch des Vorgängers deutlich hinausheben. Hatte man noch mit Kaladins Entwicklung vom unterbewerteteten Underdog und verkannten Helden mit moralischen Kämpfen und unerwartetem magischem Potential gerechnet, tritt Shallan ziemlich unerwartet hervor - und mit ihr die nächste Generation, verkörpert vor allem durch Dalinars Söhne, Adolin und Renarin, die sich vom arroganten Duellkämpfer und kampfuntauglichem Nerd weiterentwickeln und die nächste Generation für die kommenden Folgen der Serie in Position bringen. Das Magie-System wird ebenso vertieft und erweitert wie die Kultur der Parshendi und die verlorene Kultur der Knights Radiant, die verlorene Stadt Urishiru, die Bedeutung der Spren und vieles mehr, abgerundet durch die magischen, Matrix-Stil-geprägten Kämpfe und einigen Humor von unerwarteter Stelle. Das Beste an der Geschichte ist, dass Sanderson nicht mit dem Enthüllen von Geheimnissen geizt - was es mit den Voidbringern auf sich hat, wird ebenso enthüllt wie die Rolle des Assassins in White, auch viele andere offene Fragen werden zumindest soweit beantwortet, dass man am Ende der epochalen Schlacht am Ende des Buches mit einem befriedigten Gefühl zurückbleibt, obwohl man natürlich am liebsten gleich weiterlesen würde. Hier zeigt sich auch, wie sehr sich Sanderson in den letzten 4 Jahren weiterentwickelt hat. Er liefert eine überaus würdige Fortsetzung, die den ersten Band in vielerlei Hinsicht übertrifft und eine Weiterentwicklung der Charaktere ebenso wie des Weltentwufs bietet. Am Schluß bleibt noch ein gewisses ungläubiges Staunen, als sich der Kreis eines wichtigen Handlungsfadens schließt und gleichzeitig doch alles ganz anders ist, als es bisher den Anschein hatte. So muß Fantasy sein. Fazit: Klare Lese- und Kaufempfehlung für die überaus gelungene und qualitativ überzeugende Hardcover-Ausgabe, die neben dem überzeugenden Inhalt außerdem noch viel schönes Buch fürs Geld bietet.

Ótima história.

Came with the bind spoilt. Pl refund

Came in great condition and was well packaged! I’m obsessed with this series 🔥

Incredibly good! I have not read the whole book yet, but yes, if that's possible, it is even better than "The Way of Kings". Well done!